This TikToker May Have Cracked The Glitter Conspiracy Wide Open, Pointing To One Unsuspecting Industry That May Be The Largest Buyer Of Glitter

Oleg Gekman - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Oleg Gekman - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

When you think of the word “conspiracy theory,” what comes to mind? Is it the speculation surrounding Area 51, the overwhelming reports of supposed Bigfoot sightings, or the surprisingly widespread belief that mattress stores are prime suspects of money laundering?

Just how ridiculous many conspiracy theories seem ultimately give the entire term a pretty bad rap. But there is one mystery that is undoubtedly real and unsolved. We are talking about the glitter conspiracy.

Back in 2018, the New York Times published an interview with an executive at GlitterEx– a glitter distribution world leader.

And despite the exec divulging some interesting factoids about the industry, one specific interview response stood out.

It had to do with the fact that GlitterEx would never reveal who its biggest client is. Moreover, the public would be floored if they found out.

“When I asked Ms. Dyer if she could tell me which industry served as GlitterEx’s biggest market, her answer was instant: ‘No, I absolutely know that I can’t. And you would never guess it. Let’s just leave it at that,'” reported Caity Weaver.

“I asked if she could tell me why she couldn’t tell me. ‘Because they don’t want anyone to know that it’s glitter.”

So, for years, this tiny interview segment has continued to nag at people’s minds. What contains glitter that we don’t know about? How could anything contain glitter– such a shiny and distinctive product– without us realizing it?

It has also caused millions of people to submit countless guesses over cocktails and online. But there are a few common hypotheses that we can definitely rule out.

Oleg Gekman – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

First of all, the answer is not boat paint– because the boating industry openly admits to using glitter, and the NYT interview alludes to an industry much more secretive than that.

Similarly, glitter is also not used in road paint, despite the common misconception. Instead, our paved roads are made to shine via glass beads– not the combination of aluminum and plastic that creates glitter.

Finally, the mystery client is obviously not a makeup company– since we already know glitter is used in everything from eye shadows to lip glosses. Likewise, it is not NASA.

Yes, NASA is currently working on a telescope that utilizes glitter. However, the amount of glitter this project requires is not enough to make NASA the largest glitter buyer.

So, what the heck could be the answer? Well, one TikToker named Rae thinks she has finally cracked the case.

In a now-viral video, Rae detailed how one unsuspecting– but totally plausible– industry might be the quartz countertop industry.

Contrary to popular belief, companies that create quartz countertops do not just slice open a huge boulder of quartz and throw it down as a kitchen counter. Instead, there is an entire manufacturing process.

First, the quartz crystals have to actually be ground down into a fine powder. Next, this powder is then pressed into the slabs.

Even afterward, though, the counter is still only about ninety percent quartz. What’s the other ten percent made up of, you might be wondering? Well, companies add other ingredients, such as polyester, resin, and “other additives.”

This vagueness, coupled with the known fact that quartz countertops really sparkle under overhead lights, is what pushed the TikToker to submit her guess. She even provided some math to back up her suspicion.

The boat paint industry, for instance, would use approximately one hundred and twelve thousand gallons of glitter per year. Next up, if glitter really were in U.S. currency, then about one hundred and twenty-two gallons would be used per year.

The quartz countertop industry beats both of these popular guesses by a longshot, though, and would ultimately utilize over four hundred thousand gallons annually. That’s a lot of glitters!

Plus, it makes sense why the TikToker’s suspicion is plausible. After all, quartz countertops are famously expensive. So, if prominent clients knew that their money was partially being spent on glitter, you could only imagine the outrage.

Rae’s TikTok ultimately reached nearly seven hundred thousand viewers, gained eighty-seven thousand likes, and spurred a ton of discussion in the comment section. For some, her quartz countertop theory makes total sense.

“My husband worked in a quartz countertop plant. He said this is spot on. The quartz is powder, and it’s designed with computers to look natural,” commented one user.

“This really does make the most sense. I had no idea about quartz counters not being one hundred percent stone,” wrote another user.

“This should be a TED talk,” joked a third.

At the same time, a ton of other TikTokers were still not convinced– and they used Rae’s comment section to submit their other hunches.

“It has to be something used for food, or else it wouldn’t be such a big secret,” opined one commenter.

“I can’t explain it rationally, but my gut still says Coca-Cola,”  said another user.

“It has to be the slime companies. I’ll take no other answer. There are so many slime companies out there right now,” wrote a third.

So, what do you think? Could quartz countertops be the leading secret glitter industry? Perhaps we will never know for sure.

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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